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7 Easy Ways to Reduce Sugar in Your Kid’s Diet

7 Easy Ways to Reduce Sugar in Your Kid’s Diet by Jane Grates:I
recently took a walk with my kids at a park. I couldn't help but
notice that today's kids are unusually overweight as compared to when
we were growing up. I mean my son probably doubles my weight while I
was his age. According to Centre for Disease Control, 25% of the
kid’s population is considered overweight. With many factors
contributing to this menace, sugar consumption outweighs all the
others.

Even
more worrying is the fact that the culprit is not the natural sugars
in fruits or milk. The actual culprit is the additive sugar in
processed food and drinks.

If
you are tired of your kid looking overweight and sluggish, you can
turn all this around by cutting back the sweet stuff from your kids'
diet.

Follow
the following tips and thank me later.

One
sweet or dessert per day policy:

Animal
crackers, frozen yogurt or even vanilla ice cream are good choices.
However, if your children love cookies, there is no need to eliminate
them completely. Instead allow them to decide the amount they want to
eat without creating a restrictive environment. Do not create a
confrontational environment. That way you are setting them up to
learn their internal satiety cues. All said and done you are helping
them prevent eating disorders later in life.

Avoid
Fizzy
Drinks & Juices:

Milk
and water should never lack in your house. These are the drinks that
you should spoil your kids with. It’s important to note that fizzy
drinks and juices are “bombarded” with additive sugars.

While
some of these drinks come with and an endless dose of vitamins, they
are stripped of fiber which makes them not only lacking in this
aspect but also contain more sugar than the actual fruits they are
extracted from.

But
let’s be real, it's hard to trick your kid to choose water over a
mango juice right? As a parent, you can incorporate fun ways of
enticing your kids to drink water. You can choose to gradually dilute
the juice with water or rewarding them for every extra glass of water
or milk taken.

Cereals
for Breakfast:

The
last thing you want is stressing your kid in the morning over some
stupid argument about what to have for breakfast. They have better
things to worry about, like a nightmare they had at night or even a
number they haven't been able to crack in their mathematics class.
Use oats to create porridge or even flapjacks.

You
can choose to engage the kids in coming up with these recipes or even
preparing them. This way you make them feel like they are playing a
part in coming up with the breakfast.

Pack
snacks ahead of time:

Have
you ever realized that snacks vending machines have a way of flying
your way when you least expect them to? Even the corner you last left
a shoeshine seems to have mutated into a snack haven. If you are
headed for a picnic with your kids, it’s tempting to grab a snack
for them on a snack counter or the vending machines. Packing in
advance helps you counter such temptations.

Cook
more at home:

You
think that family business that has been handed over generations can
easily give up on their recipes? Probably no. What you don't know is
that these restaurants have one common denominator. To enhance the
flavors, they add sugar, fats, and salts. However, when you cook at
home, you have control over what you cook and eat.

Look
out for hidden sweet offenders:

Before
buying any product such as bread and sauces, thoroughly vet the
ingredients list for common names like glucose, dextrose, malt syrup,
and others. This will help you come up with a rough idea of how much
sugar is in these products. Lucky enough, governments are beginning
to compel manufacturers to lift the veil as these sugar quantities
will be soon available on these commodities.

Talk
About Food:

The
fact that sugar is sweet makes it hard to convince your kids that
sugar is not good for them. Even more detrimental is using words like
"sugar will make you fat." Consider injecting positivity
into the conversation like telling them that reduced sugar intake
will make them more active in their favorite sport and result in
stronger bones.

You
can also consider using these natural sugar substitutes at home. We
would also appreciate if you took part in sharing these tips to help
parents out there to reduce sugar levels in their kid’s diets.